Star Trek: InterceptorThe Long Trip
by fleetman
Summary: A new ship is introduced into the fleet. Sent through the Romulan Empire to conduct a rescue mission, the Interceptor cew incounter a number of unexpected surprises. Star Trek's not mine, don't sue me.
1. Chapter One: Way Too Early

**Chapter One**

Way Too Early

By: Tony Sommerfeld

'It's way too early for this,' thought Captain Mike Sommerfeld as he made his way to his new command, the USS Interceptor. But he always thought that at 0200 hours the day of a launch. 'I should never agree to a launch before 1200 hours, anything earlier means I have to get to the ship too early,' he reminded himself as he noticed a slender young brunet walking towards him.

"Hi dad. Or should I say 'Greetings Captain'?" his daughter, Commander Beth Sommerfeld, said in a teasing way.

"Don't tease my, Beth. It's too early."

"You always say that. Oh, and thank you for requesting my to be your Second in Command," she commented as they arrived at their new ship.

"They weren't supposed to tell you that."

" They didn't, lucky guess."

"Good guess. By the way, when is your brother getting here?"

"You mean our Acting Chief of Security? I thought he told you. Or should I say you told him?" she finished playfully.

"I didn't. I thought he was going to meat me on the turbo lift here."

"And so I do!" said Lieutenant Tony Sommerfeld as the turbo lift doors opened.

"Woo. You startled me, Tony. How long have you been here?" Beth said as she caught her breath.

"Not more than thirty minutes. I wanted to be sure everything was in order," the younger officer replied.

"Bridge," their father commanded the turbo lift. "How, pray tell, did you get on the ship in the first place?"

"You know that the Security Chief has access codes too, don't you?" responded the new captain's son.

"Yes, but not the Assistant Chief of Security and not before the captain arrives," Beth retorted.

"Yeah, well… I got the entrance code from a friend of mine on the construction team. You happy now?" Tony asked rhetorically, aimed at his sister.

"I am," responded his father as he stepped onto the bridge.

"I thought you would be."

"Do you wish to commence operation?" asked the computer as all the workstations came to life.

"Not at the moment, thank you," Mike responded, and the consuls returned to their previous state. "So, this is what you came to get in order?"

"Not really. I just made those minor adjustments to the ship functions that you always complain about: adjusting you seat, ship temperature, light cycle, food processors, that kind o' thing," Tony responded.

"Impressive," Beth state, referring to how Tony could do all those things and make her chair just she liked it.

"Yeah. I suppose you know the entire ship by heart now to, don't you?" his father asked him, some what sarcastically.

"Not all of it, Just the Important things. You know: crew quarters, engineering, Hazard Ops., rec. room, and sick bay," Tony responded haphazardly.

"Did you mess with sick bay?" a new voice asked. It was Dr. Nancy Sommerfeld, the wife of Captain Sommerfeld and mother to the other two crewmembers present.

"No, sir. I know how you like to arrange it yourself; so you know were everything is."

"Well, then. Does anyone mind if I go do that now?"

"No one at all," Mike responded as she boarded the turbo lift.

"What time is the rest of the crew getting here?" Tony asked.

"0600 hours. I'm going to need you to greet them and have them report to sick bay," answered his captain.

"And why, pray tell, did you come four hours early?" Tony asked indignantly.

"To familiarize myself with my ship and make those 'minor adjustments' you so kindly accomplished already. Besides, it's not like I had anything better to do."

"You could have slept some more," Beth offered.

"Yeah, it's way too early to be up and working on a newly commissioned ship. Hey, what time do we pull out of space dock?" Tony asked inquisitively.

"0900. That should be enough 'stager time' for you to show people around and your mother to perform physicals."


	2. Chapter Two: New Arrivals

Chapter Two 

New Arrivals

"I thought a battle ship would be bigger than that," commented Ensign Moore.

"It normally would be, Amber. But it's intended more for speed, though I'm sure it has substantial fire power," responded her friend, Chellie Sommerfeld.

"Yeah, but how do they balance five warp engines?"

"Thy don't," answered Chellie's fiancée, Lieutenant Tommy T. Tompkins. "Four are mostly used for speed and the fifth is used to power the weapons systems."

"Oh… So how many phaser arrays did you say it has?" Amber asked. She felt like she needed to know, after all she was the helmsman.

"Sixteen in four banks of four. One bank shoots only forward, one shoots port and aft, the third shoots starboard and aft, and the fourth shoots only aft."

"And four torpedo tubes, right?" offered Chellie

"Yeah. Three forward and one aft."

"Powerful for just a saucer section," Amber commented, turning to look at it out the shuttle window. She could almost see it fighting a much bigger ship and winning. Ever since her ship fought the Borg, she had been worried about Starfleet's ability to defend the Federation. "I wonder how big the crew is," she said to herself.

"About five hundred fifty," said someone at her elbow.

"Oh. Hi. Sorry I didn't see you," she said turning to talk to the young man.

"No apologies needed. I am just sorry to interrupt your thoughts."

"That's okay, they weren't worth remembering anyway. I'm Amber Moore," she said as she extended her hand.

"My name is Kent Corvig. I will be working on the space dock we are going to. I assume you will be on the Interceptor?"

"Yeah. It's nice to meat you Kent," she responded with surprise. She had never meat anyone like him, except Vulcans of course.

"The experience was agreeable for me as well."

"Oh, man. Oh, man," chanted the young communications officer. It was almost 0850 hours, and he didn't want to be late. "Oh, man. Oh, man."

As he reached the final walkway, he slowed his pace. He hasn't realized he had been running. The last thing he wanted was to arrive at the USS Interceptor late and out of breath.

"Hey! Careful!" said a very tall, very, very big man as he walked though the door, a little faster than he meant to.

"Sorry, sir! I didn't mean to run in to you, sir! I just didn't want to be late, sir!" he stammered as he stopped short.

"My fault, I shouldn't have been so close to the door. Call me Tony, Ensign…?"

"Corvik. Ensign Nathanial Corvik. Communications. Sorry it took me so long to get here, sir. My shuttle was running late."

"It's okay. Don't panic. You still have lots of time left."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"We don't leave 'til 0900, it's only 0750."

"What? Oh, yeah! I set my chronometer ahead so I wouldn't be late!" responded the very relieved ensign.

"Good. Now you need to report to Sick Bay for a physical and to the captain. If you like I can have one of my associates guide you."

"Please?"

"Okay then. Jen, could you show Ensign Corvik to his quarters then Sick Bay?" the Lieutenant yelled over his shoulder to a brown haired girl, who walked over.

"Sure. I'm Jennifer, but you can call me Jen," she said as they walked away.

"Lieutenant Sommerfeld to Sick Bay," Tony said as he tapped his com badge.

"Dr. Sommerfeld here, go ahead," it responded.

"Mom? There's an over eager ensign on his way. I can't tell if he's human or not, but he seems some what paranoid about what people think of him."

"Thank you, Tony. See you at the staff meeting?" she responded. She liked to know if an alien was coming for a physical so she could set up for it.

"Yeah. I got to go. New arrivals," he said as he tapped his badge again. Then, a new group came through the door. Fist up was a tall (for a human woman) re-head. "Amber? Amber Moore. What are you doing here?" he asked in a half teasing way.

"I'm here to fly this bucket of bolts," she responded sarcastically. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to keep you out of trouble, young lady," he responded with equal sarcasm.

"Mr. Sommerfeld?" came a familiar voice from behind Tony.

"Yeah? What can I do for you?" responded the lieutenant as he turned around. "Chellie? Chellie! What are you doing here? I thought you were on DS 12," he exclaimed excitedly, taking his older (but much shorter) sister in a big hug.

"I'm glad to see you too," she responded as she pulled herself out of his arms. "I was, but I came to see the launch of Tommy's new ship."

"Triple-T's here? This is going to be more fun than I thought!" Tony exclaimed as he caught sight of his good friend. "Tommy!"

As he went over to him, Tommy turned around and proclaimed, "Big-T! I didn't know you'd be here! Security, right?"

"And Hazard Team leader. At least 'til the real Chief of Security gets here."

They embraced and Tony showed his friends to Sick Bay for their physicals.

"Lieutenant Tompkins reporting for duty as Chief Engineer, sir," Tommy said to the gentleman standing in front of the captain's chair.

"Good, Mr. Tompkins. Your engineering station is over there," he said as he turned to point over at the right side of the bridge.

"Thank you, sir, but I wanted to head down to Engineering."

"Then I'll see you at the staff meeting at 0830, in thirty minutes," the captain responded without turning to him.

"This ship is a lot bigger than it looks," commented the young helmswoman to her escort.

"I know," he responded. Tony often wondered why Amber paid so much attention to him. He wasn't that hansom; at least he didn't think so. _But you don't look a gift house in the mouth,_ he thought to himself.

He never would have expected that the attractive young redhead was thinking the same thing as they stood looking out a window. _Why would he like me? I'm more than twenty centimeters shorter than he is and almost a year older. Why does he like me so much?_

The silence, which was becoming uncomfortable, was broken when a voice came over the lieutenant's com badge. "Commander Sommerfeld to Lieutenant Sommerfeld."

"Tony here, go ahead."

"Tony, where are you? Are you still with Ensign Moore?"

"Yeah, why?"

"She still needs to report to dad and you have a staff meeting in two minutes."

"We'll be right there."


	3. Chapter Three: Trouble

**Chapter Three**

Trouble 

'These staff meetings are so long,' thought the new science officer. She already knew just about everything one of these meetings could explain. Being a hologram, she had instant access to all unclassified information.

"Lieutenant Commander Gambicorta, will you please pay attention?" asked the captain. "Commander, will you please continue?"

"With pleasure. As I was saying," continued Commander Sommerfeld, "the USS Santa Maria was exploring an area of uncharted space and encountered a group of hostile Romulans. During the encounter, a small number of their crew was taken hostage and is being held for ransom."

"What are the demands?" asked Dr. Sommerfeld.

"In a nutshell? A continue of hostile relations with the Romulan government or the hostages will be executed."

"We have friendly relations with the Romulans?" Tony asked.

"We're in the process of negotiating with the new Romulan Prator," Michelle responded absently.

"She speaks!" Amber whispered and was rewarded with a muffled laugh from Tony.

"Actually, we are, but they aren't going very well," commented the captain. "That's why Starfleet isn't sure whither or not this is an isolated incident. We're being sent to deal with the hostage situation and, if necessary, eliminate the problem."

"Meaning, get our people out and start shooting," Michelle said haughtily.

"No. We get our people out and wait for orders," reprimanded the captain.

"Just saying what everyone else was thinking."

"S-sir, we're receiving a p-priority signal from Starfleet," reported Ensign Corvik three days after the Interceptor left space dock.

"Patch it through, Mr. Corvik," the captain responded.

"Yes, s-sir." After he pushed a few buttons, the view screen came alive.

"Captain, may I present the Romulan ambassador, T'Wain," said the admiral who appeared.

"Ambassador, it's my pleasure."

"No, captain, it's mine. My government has instructed me to give you a special subspace code that will allow you to travel through the Romulan Empire safely," he responded. "Our government realizes that, since there are Federation hostages, the Federation should be involved. We apologize for you inconvenience and are willing to offer any assistance that may require."

"We appreciate your help and willingness to cooperate," Mike said, "but, other than the code, I don't believe your assistance will be required."

"T-transmission ended," reported Ensign Corvik as the view screen faded to the Federation logo.

"Very well, Ensign. Start transmitting the code. Miss Moore, set course, through the Romulan Empire, to rendezvous with the Santa Maria. Warp Six."

"Aye, sir. Course plotted and laid in," she responded.

"Engage."

"Intruder alert. Intruder alert," said the computer thirty-six hours later.

"Hazard Team report to Deck Two Section Two," responded Lieutenant Sommerfeld, tapping his com badge. "Jen, meet me on Turbo Lift Four."

"Tony, don't get yourself killed," Amber said sarcastically.

"Ha, ha. You just worry about that Romulan warship, pretty lady," he responded with equal sarcasm as he left the bridge. As he made his way to the Turbo Lift, he used his Transporter Pack to retrieve a Meteor Phaser Pistol and holster.

"Tony, you got another one of those for me?" Ensign Jennifer Colons asked playfully as she pulled out a standard Phaser II Hand Phaser.

"I get respect from everyone, don't I?"

"What?"

"Never mind. Deck 2." And the humming began, as the turbo lift started moving. "Do we know how many there are?"

"Fifteen. What's the plan? Shootout? Crossfire?"

"How many people do we already have in position?"

"Ten, with ten more on the way," she responded as the doors opened.

"No shootout, at least not yet. Computer: Location of Hazard Team members vs. Romulan invaders," Tony said as he tapped a wall panel and Transporter packed a Medium Range Support Rifle. Then a map of the deck appeared with icons for the Interceptor crew and different ones for the Romulans. "If we move down this hallway through here," he said as he pointed to the map.

"We can rendezvous with our guys without incident," Jen interrupted hopefully.

"Exactly."

"See, I told you I'd catch on if you keep tutoring me," she exclaimed with enthusiasm.

"But if you don't keep your voice down, we're both going to get shot," Tony responded harshly, pushing her away from the beams of light that were coming around the corner. They ducked through a door and started heading toward the other group.

"Computer: seal this door and raise the lighting two levels. Lieutenant Sommerfeld to bridge," he finished, tapping his com badge.

"This is the captain, what's wrong, Tony?"

"How're we doing against the warship?"

"Our primary shields are still more seventy-five percent and theirs are less than twenty-five percent. Our phasers are sixty percent and only fired four torpedoes," Amber responded since they still hadn't picked up their tactical officer.

"So, we're winning?" interjected Jen mockingly.

"Yeah," Amber responded sarcastically. Amber and Jen never really got along.

"Well then, Tony out," he said as he tapped his badge again. They had reached the end of the hallway when a member of a Romulan Boarding party came through a door, yelled, and started shooting.

"Get down!" Tony screamed as he pushed Jen to the ground and opened fire. He got two shots off before she hit and three more before the other Romulans knew what was going on.

"Run!" yelled one.

"Security!" screamed another.

"Open fire!" ordered a third, who seamed to be in charge before the others panicked.

Jen phasered one while Tony worked the door panel to close it. It wasn't working. Before he got the door closed, Jen had phasered two more Romulans and a third had run away. "Five Romulans in one encounter, not bad," she commented as she stood up.

"Sorry about shoving you to the floor like that. I thought the others would react faster than they did."

"No problem. I'm just glad you reacted before the Romulans did." They continued down the corridor without incident.

The ship was handling better than she could have dreamed. She was able to maneuver while the targeting computer aimed the many weapon systems. "Direct hit, sir. Her warp engines are down as well as her aft disruptors," Amber reported after firing the forward phasers. "Sir! She's cloaking!" she added with alarm.

"I can see that, ensign. The computer should still be able to aim using the Taction Detection Grid," her captain said reassuringly.

"Yes, sir."

"Target impulse engines and weapons control. Keep us behind her… On my mark… Fire," he ordered and was answered with an array of phaser beams and torpedoes.

"Direct hit! She's loosing her cloak," Amber reported confidently as Tony walked off the turbo lift and took his seat as Tactical Officer.

"Sir, three Griffin class warships decloaking off the starboard buoy," he reported to the chagrin of all those on the bridge. "They're hailing us."

"On screen."

"Greetings, you have performed excellently. Simulation terminated." And the surroundings and most of the people faded to reveal the Holodeck.

"That was impressive," Amber said as she, Tony, and Jen walked out into the hallway. "You did better than I thought you would."

"Yeah, you to. I honestly thought you would have a harder time working as both Helmsman and Tactical Officer," Tony said encouragingly. "You did really well to, Jen. You're a better shot than I thought and you do catch on quickly."

"Thanks. How much did we win by?" Jen asked.

"We didn't have any casualties, only minor injuries, we still had almost half of our primary shields and enough fire power to disable all three Griffins," Tony responded victoriously.

"That news disserves at least one drink!" Amber proclaimed, teasing Tony about his distaste of alcohol and sinthohol.

Two days later they reached the rendezvous point, ahead of schedule. "Sir, there's a ship closing on our position, I can't identify it's warp signature," Michelle reported.

"Cloaked?" Mike asked.

"No, sir. Just unidentifiable."

"Orders, sir?" Amber asked, glancing to her left to see if Tony was as worried as she was.

He was, but she couldn't tell. His experience as a Marine taught him, if nothing else, to look assured of himself. _I wish I knew how to handle the position better,_ half of him thought. The other half thought, _You'll do fine. You've done more simulators and ranked higher on more Tactical Tests than most lieutenants your age. Besides, all you have to do is listen to your dad; he knows what he's doing._

"Mr. Corvik, open all hailing frequencies and patch in the Universal Translator. Computer: Record and transmit this message. 'The captain of the USS Interceptor, a representative of the United Federation of Planets, greets you. Please respond and identify yourself.' Mr. Corvik, repeat this message every five minutes."

"Y-yes, sir."

"S-sir, we're b-being hailed," the young communications officer said after a few minutes.

"By the unidentified ship?" the captain asked.

"No, s-sir. By the R-Romulan ship that's been f-following us." This remark was meat by an exchange of puzzled looks between the Tactical Officer and Helmsman. _If we hadn't been in the Holodeck most of the time, we would've know,_ they both thought with a shrug.

"On screen," the captain ordered and the view screen changed from an ominous looking object in the distance to an even more ominous looking g Romulan.

"My name is Dwan, commander of the ERW Car'Thein. T'Wain has ordered me to inform you of this in the case of your meeting this threat," said the Romulan who was back lit in such a way that you could neither see his face nor what was going on behind him.

"And what threat would that be?" Mike asked.

"The Tar. A species that is bent on conquest; with no scouts, no escorts, and no respect for anything that lives. They have no ships that can't wipe out a highly sophisticated planetary defense in one foul swoop. They use both disruptors and phasers, multiple shield, and a new type of torpedo that automatically changes to counter act a ships shields."

"Thank you, Dwan. This information will be put to good use. But I don't believe that your direct intervention will be necessary," Mike responded and gave the signal to end the transmission.

"Sir, I've finished scanning the unknown ship and, well, sir… there's no way any of what that Romulan said could be true," Tony reported, somewhat hesitantly. "The reason we couldn't identify the warp signature is because there isn't one. There aren't even enough people on that ship to run anything more complex than Impulse Engines. The only weapons I can make out," he said, leaning over his consul to take a better look, "are… penetrative missiles. They look like they're designed to cut through shields and ship armor. They also look like they have a less advance communications system. That may be why they never answered our hails."

"Ensign?" the captain asked, turning to his Communications Officer. "Could that be possible?"

"Y-yes, sir. I'll a-adjust our sign," he responded nervously.

"Thank you. You can also discontinue the automated transmission."

"Aye-aye, s-sir. Hailing f-frequencies open."

"Greetings from the United Federation of Planets. We apologize for our lack of communication; our systems are… very different. We also apologize if we're intruding on your space, we were instructed to wait here for another ship in our fleet."

"We of the Tar also greet you," responded a soothing but masculine voice over the speakers. "We also apologize for our lack of communication. Most of our crew is in stases and we need to periodically retrain some of our officers. And as far as 'our space' goes, you're welcome to use it as you see fit. It is obvious to us that your vesicle is infinitely superior to ours and we wouldn't-"

"Sir!" Tony interrupted urgently. "Incoming torpedo!"

"Shields!" the captain commanded, needlessly, even though he knew his son would already have raised them. "Origin?"

"The Romulan Griffin. But it looks like they're trying to make it look like the Tar, sir," he responded as their adversary fired their phasers.

"Helm, circle around the Griffin in such away as to make it look like we're going to attack the Tar but put us between them. Tactical, target weapons control and engines. On my mark…" Mike ordered as his officers made it happen. "Fire."

His last order was meat with an array of phaser beams followed by a series of small explosions. "Direct hit, sir. Both systems inoperative," Tony reported as the Romulan ship lost its cloak. "In coming Warbirds!"

"What?"

"Th-they're hailing us, s-sir," Corvik interrupted, before the captain could give any orders.

"Bring us around. On screen," Mike ordered.

"I am Commander D'Ran of the Warbird Cue'Cha. We apologize for Dwan's treacherous behavior," the Romulan woman stated sincerely. "He believes that all species other than Romulans are inferior and should be exterminated."

"We" appreciate your apology, but we hope you don't mind if we don't drop our shields right away," Mike responded, half jokingly. "I'm Captain Mike Sommerfeld of the USS Interceptor. I believe this is where we're supposed to wait for the Santa Maria?"

"Yes, captain, it is. However, you weren't supposed to be here for days."

"A consequence of the special code we received at the beginning of our trip. It allowed for an extreme… short cut through your gracious empire," Mike responded.

"He's laying it on very thick," Tony whispered, and was rewarded with a slight chuckle from Amber.

"Yes, I believe it would," D'Ran said slyly.

"S-sir, the Car'Thein is h-hailing us, audio only," Corvick interrupted.

"Patch it through."

"Captain, how dare you fire on us like that? We could have been destroyed!" a familiar voice said angrily.

"No, commander, you couldn't. You see, my tactical officer would not hit anything he wasn't told to and our targeting systems are accurate enough to shoot down one of your toilets if wanted it to. Besides, you fired on us first," Mike answered calmly.

"Lies! How could we fire on you if we were cloaked?"

"Commander, there have been ships in the past that could fire while cloaked: a Klingon Bird of Prey and your former Prator's Warship, the Scimitar," Michelle Gabicorta responded coolly.

"Isolated incidents. You have no way of proving us capable of this impossibility. Besides, our sensors show that it was the Tar that fired on you," Dwan retorted smugly.

"And our sensors show that they're not capable of the attack," Commander D'Ran interjected.

"D'Ran, you treacherous dog! How could you take the enemies side against a fellow Romulan!" Dwan demanded.

"Enemy? We are in peace talks with the Federation. Except, perhaps, you and your like. Those who use terror to achieve their goals," D'Ran responded coolly.

"Peace talks? Why would the Romulans indulge a weaker race with words?" Dwan demanded angrily.

"'Weaker race'? If we're the weaker race why could we disable your ship so easily? Or withstand a frontal assault from you ship?" Mike asserted forcefully.

"A Griffin is no match for almost any Federation starship! The only chance we had was our cloak! How did you detect it anyway?" Dwan inquired slyly.

"That, my friend, is our business, not yours."

"Captain," interjected D'Ran, "I regret Dwan's conduct, but he has a point. If there is to be good relations between our people we must trust each other."

"Yes, but there is a fine line between trust and trickery. The time for trust will come after we get our people back and a treaty is signed," Mike responded coolly.

"Clever response, captain. I look forward to that day."

"Sir, the Warbird Cue'Cha has locked onto the Car'Thein with a tractor beam. They are proceeding to tow it away," Tony reported.

"Good, now we just need to wait for the Santa Maria."

 http/ About half way down the page

 http/ About half way down the page, under Sniper Rifle

 In an intruder situation, the lights in the appropriate area are lowered to disorient the intruders and increase detectablity, due to hand lights.


	4. Chapter Four: Unexpected Delays

**Chapter Four**

Unexpected Delays

Captain's Log-Stardate 45661.9: After our encounter with the Romulans, we were able to establish peaceful relations with the Tar, a nomadic race. On a less encouraging note, the USS Santa Maria, a Nebula Class Research Vesicle, is two days late for our rendezvous. –End log entry

"S-sir, we're receiving a s-subspace distress call," Ensign Corvik reported.

"Patch it through," Beth responded since it was her shift.

"I-it's just the a-automated message: T-transmitting coordinates to h-helm."

"Receiving," Amber confirmed.

"What ship is it?" Beth asked.

"I d-don't know. The m-message is sc-scrambled in some p-places," he responded hesitantly.

"Ma'am? The coordinates point in the direction the Santa Maria was supposed to have come from," Tony reported.

"Can you confirm whether or not it was her?"

"No, ma'am. It's not conclusive enough to say one way or another, but it points in that direct."

"Helm, set course, Warp 7. Mr. Corvik, inform the captain. Miss Moore: Engage."

"Warp 7, aye. ETA is fifteen minutes thirty seconds."

"M-ma'am? The c-captain is on his w-way," Nathanial stammered.

"Good. Increase velocity to Warp 9."

"Warp 9, aye. ETA is five minutes ten seconds," Amber responded.

"Captain on deck," Tony said as his father walked in.

"Report."

"We received an automated distress call; we're en route, Warp 9," Beth responded as she stood up.

"ETA?"

"Four and a half minutes," Amber responded, glancing at Tony.

He was looking at his panel. "Sir? Would you take a look at this?" Tony asked. "It looks almost like Trans-Warp signatures."

"What?" Mike asked as he came over to look. "You think it's the Borg?"

"No, sir. It barely registers, but, even if the Borg past through here days ago, their signatures would still be perfectly clear."

"Is there any chance at all?" Beth asked, coming up on Tony's other side.

"Not that they attacked the ship, but, yes, there is a very small chance."

"Yellow Alert," the captain ordered, returning to his chair. "Scan the sector for any, and I mean ANYthing out of the ordinary."

"Aye, sir," Tony responded. "There seams to be a radioactive meteor that's scrambling the long range sensors," he reported a few minutes later.

"That's definitely out of the ordinary," Amber commented quietly.

"Yes, ensign, it is," Michelle said from her station, behind and to the right of the captain. "It's also not naturally occurring. It looks like some sort of sensor mask, but I can't scan through it."

"Isn't that the point?" Tony asked, tapping some buttons on his consul. "Now try."

"It looks vaguely like some kind of small ship."

"On screen," the captain ordered, and the screen changed from the streaks of stars to an unfocused picture of a meteor superimposed over a ship.

"What kind of ship is that?" Beth asked. "Is it Romulan?"

"Don't think so," Tony said studying a view screen on his consul. "If it was, it would probably just standard cloak."

"Confirmed," Michelle said, also studying her consul. "It's hard to say what it is, but it's not Romulan."

"Could be Klingon," Amber offered. "But then it would just cloak, too," she corrected herself.

"Yeah, but it's hard to tell, even through such an unsophisticated shield," Tony commented softly, almost to himself, still studying his consul.

"So, lieutenant, what do you think it is?" Mike asked straightforwardly.

"I honestly don't know, but it's not Romulan, Klingon, or Borg," Tony said, finally looking up.

"We're approaching the origin of the distress call: The USS Santa Maria!" Michelle reported a few minute later.

"Tony, Beth, get Away-Teams ready. Sick Bay: be ready to receive wounded," the captain ordered.

"Hazard Team to Transporter Room 6, this is not a drill," Tony commanded as he tapped is com badge. "Hazard Medics to Transporter Room 3."

"Tony, coordinate with me," Beth said as they boarded the turbo lift. "Deck 3."

As the silver-blue sparkles faded, the Away-Team was meat with a vision of destruction. They had beamed to the bridge; with its burned out stations, fallen ceiling panels, and other articles of debris.

"Away-Team to Commander Sommerfeld," Lieutenant Tony Sommerfeld reported, "transport complete. Ready to receive Medics."

"Acknowledged," the response from his badge.

"Coleman, Schreiber, Cunningham, check decks one and two for survivors," Tony ordered and the appropriate crewmen proceeded to the different access points. "Grippenstrow, see if you can get one of these consuls working. Everyone else, secure this location."

By the time Beth arrived with the Medics, Tony had the bridge and most of decks one and two secured. "Report, lieutenant," she ordered when the survivors in those areas had been treated.

"Billy Grippenstrow is still trying to access the ship's computers, with little success. He thinks they're coded somehow, but he doesn't know which code was used."

"Are there any indications of survivors on other decks?"

"Negative. But we're waiting for your approval to go look."

"Given."

"People! Split up into groups of three: Two standard team members, on Medic! Schreiber, Hunt, you're with me. Billy! You stay here and work on the computers!"

"Right! Try to stay out of the turbo lifts!"

"Okay! You heard the man! Move out!" Tony said as the Hazard Team moved toward the doors and Jeffery's Tubes. "Billy, you stay here with Beth."

"Sir, that ship is moving toward the Santa Maria," Michelle reported. "Its shield is beginning to scramble the short-range sensors." She glanced up at the main viewer as the ship became clearer but the screen itself grew fuzzy.

"Extend shields around the Santa Maria. Interceptor to Away Team." Mike's final words were meet by a series of beeps.

"S-sir, communications are being j-jammed," Corvik reported nervously.

"Thank you, ensign. Michelle, see if you can reconcile this situation. Captain to Engineering."

"Lieutenant Tompkins speaking."

"What's the status down there?"

"Fine. Yours?"

"This is not the time, lieutenant," Mike reprimanded sternly. "The exterior sensors and communications are inoperative and we have an Away-Team on a virtually undefended ship with a hostile closing."

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. There aren't any major problems, just instrument error."

"Thank you. Collaborate with Commander Gambicorta and Ensign Corvick to resolve this."

"Aye, sir."

"Away Team to Interceptor. (silence) Away Team to Interceptor. (silence) Commander Sommerfeld to Captain Sommerfeld." She was starting to get frustrated. "Ensign, any progress?"

"Little. The encryption has a discernable patter, but it seems to have no significance," Ensign Gripenstrow said from his consol. "I've entered every decryption I've ever known, no effect. The computer's working, no response. I can tell that all the ship's functions are working, no access."

"The others are looking for more survivors. Maybe one of them will be able to help."

In Engineering: "Sir, I'm picking up a life sign; human. Very faint," Alex Hunt reported, tapping the screen on his tricorder.

"Location?" Drew Schreiber ask, moving out of the doorway cautiously. As he looked around, he saw something move. "Come out in the open! We won't hurt you!"

"Then lower your weapons!" a stern but shaky voice ordered.

"Jessie? Jessie Lewis?" Tony asked, lowering his compression rifle and stepping forward.

"Tony Sommerfeld?" he responded. "Lieutenant, stand down."

"Aye, sir." He then snapped to attention. "Stand down," he ordered the others, and the followed suit.

"Request permission to check for injury's," Alex asked politely.

"Permission granted," Jessie stated standing up shakily. "There are more survivors in the Jeffery's Tubes."

"Acknowledged," Tony said, motioning for Drew to follow him. "The entrance code isn't working,' he said after trying it a few times.

"Computer: Enter decryption code Lewis alpha bee eight. (Beeping noises, "Entered" from the computer) Now it should work."

"It does… Hey!" Tony exclaimed as he dodged a phaser bolt fired at his head. "What's the big idea! We're here to help!"

"Really? I'm so sorry! I didn't know who it was and Commander Lewis said to shoot anyone who opens the tube door before he contacted us! I am so sorry!" the petite brunet said as she crawled out of the Jeffery's Tube and gave him the rifle.

"It's okay. No harm done," Tony responded, sticking his head cautiously back in the opening. "Is there anyone else in here?"

"Depends who's asking," responded a gruff voice.

"Lieutenant Michael A. Sommerfeld, Jr., of the Starfleet Marines stationed aboard the USS Interceptor. To whom am I speaking?"

"Chief Engineer Lieutenant Commander George Carmichael."

"Anyone else?"

"The captain, who is in there, is unconscious," the brunet responded.

"And you are?"

"Lieutenant Sarah Garwood."

"Okay, Hunt, go help their captain. Anyone else here in engineering?" Tony asked as Carmichael climbed out of the Jeffery's tube and Hunt went in to help the captain.

"Ma'am?" Billy said to get Beth's attention. "I think the computer's working now, but weapons and shields are down. Looks like we'll need to put into a Starbase."

"Engines and sensors?" she asked as she sat in the captain's seat and started pushing buttons.

"Both functional but warp looks iffy. Forward view now on View Screen," he said as a warship came into focus.

"Tony! Get up here! Fast!" Beth yelled.

"On my way!" Tony responded through the ships speakers.

"As am I," a sluggish voice said weakly.

"Okay?" Beth responded, turning to Billy with a puzzled look. He just shrugged. "Contact the Interceptor."

"Yes, ma'am."

The turbo lift doors swished open and out stepped two men. One was Tony; he dwarfed the other man. He was about forty centimeters shorter than Tony, his head was shaved and he had a goatee. "Captain on deck," Tony announced as they stepped off.

"Captain?" Beth said, standing up. "I'm Commander Beth Sommerfeld. We have a little problem."

"I'm Captain Dennis Monroe. I already know," he responded.

"Sir? Billy Gripenstrow. The communication to the Interceptor is being jammed," Bill said, kinda worried.

"Yeah. See if you can correlate frequencies with her communications," Captain Monroe ordered.

"Hazard Team to the bridge; at your convenience," Tony ordered, taking his position at Tactical.

"Tony, weapons aren't working," Billy said, taking the helm.

"Why not? What's wrong?"

"Circuit failure," Dennis responded as three more Hazard people arrived.

"Nate, take Tactical. Billy, come with me," Tony said as he headed for the turbo lift.

"Drew, relieve me," Billy said as he followed Tony.

"Where would the circuit be?" Tony asked as the doors closed.

"Well…Engineering or a secondary weapons control station."

"Engineering," Tony said, as the lift started moving. "Replacement circuits?"

"An Engineering storage compartment."

"What about shields?"

"Irreparable."

"Well…where are the secondary weapons stations?"

"Decks 4, 6, and 10."

"How many stations are there?"

"Two or three on each deck."

"Six to nine!" Tony exclaimed as the arrived in engineering. "We better hope the problem is here."

"If it is, it should be over there. Look in that store room for new circuits."

"In here?" Tony asked, sticking his head in the door.

"Should be," Billy responded, removing a panel near the floor and sticking his trycorder in.

Tony found the circuits, but when he got back to where Billy was working, Billy said, "The problems not here, but I know where it is."

"Where?" Tony said urgently.

"Deck 10, Station 3."

"What section is it in?" Tony asked as they headed for the turbo lift.

"Section 6."

"Sir, the weapons are back on line," Ensign Coleman said.

"Good," Dennis responded as Billy and Tony walked back on the bridge. "Good job, guys."

"Thank you, sir," they responded in unison as they relieved the people at their stations.

"Location of the bogey?" Dennis asked Beth, who was manning the Science Officer's station.

"Fifty kilometers to port and closing," she responded studying her view screen.

"Weapons locked, awaiting your order, sir," Tony reported.

"Wait till they lower their shields to beam over, then put enough torpedoes into their hull to blow then out of this time continuum," the captain responded calmly.

"Aye, sir," Tony confirmed, giving Billy a half smile.

"Sir, they've stopped out of transporter range," Beth reported. "They're turning on the Interceptor!" The view screen showed some sort of unfamiliar warship pivoting to port.

"Fire!" the captain ordered urgently. He was meat with a volley of torpedoes and several phaser beams. The last beam resulted in a small explosion on its outer hull.

"Sir," Sarah, the communications officer, said. "We have established contact with the Interceptor." She had come to the bridge shortly before they had fired.

"Sir, the enemy's shields are down, but they're charging their forward weapons arrays," Tony reported, looking up from his tactical console. "It looks like that explosion we caused disabled whatever it was that was disrupting our sensors and communications."

"Why do you say that?" Dennis asked, going to stand next to him.

"Because the Interceptor is arming its weapons systems."

It had been more than an hour since they had lost contact with the Away Team and the bridge crew was getting nervous. Captain Sommerfeld was visibly restless: shifting in his chair, drumming hi fingers, asking questions he already knew the answers to. Amber was also nervous, but she was handling it better. Michelle had asked her to see if she could brake through the static with her navigational sensors. She wasn't having very much luck.

"Moore to Gambicorta," she said, tapping her com badge.

"Michelle here, go ahead," she answered.

"I've made some progress, I can now see the positions of the bogey and the Santa Maria. But I can't tell what's going on," she finished, discouraged. "Wait…sensors are clearing up."

"Forward view on screen," Mike ordered, almost jumping out of his seat.

"On screen," responded the ensign who was manning the science station, Ensign Tar'man. The view screen changed from the Federation logo to a worship bearing down on them. "Sir, they're arming their forward weapons arrays!"

"Tactical, target weapons control. Helm, bring us around, stay between them and the Santa Maria," the captain ordered with urgency.

"Sir, they don't have a centralized weapons control," Tactical reported.

"Then target the individual weapons arrays as they're being armed."

"Sir, the Santa Maria is arming phasers," Tar'man reported.

"What?" he asked as he spun around to face her.

"They're arming phasers!"

"Get me a hailing frequency with them."

"Y-yes sir," Ensign Corvik replied, a little off guard. "Frequency o-open, s-sir."

"Beth, I appreciate you're trying to help, but I think you should stay out of this," Mike said as a disruptor burst came flying at the screen.

"I can understand that, sir. But I'm not in command here," she responded hesitantly.

"Then who is?" he demanded angrily.

"I am," came an unfamiliar voice over the speakers.

"And who are you?" Mike asked as the enemy ship spun around to get a shot off with their port disruptors.

"Captain Dennis Monroe, of the USS Santa Maria."

A photon torpedo impacted with the primary shields as Mike responded, " Captain Monroe, I must ask you to stand down as your involvement in this conflict could result in the destruction of your ship."

"S-sir, the e-enemy ship is h-hailing us," Corvick interrupted.

"On screen," the captain ordered and the screen changed from an almost derelict warship to an intimidation alien sitting in a relatively untouched bridge.

"Intruder, surrender your ship or face the wrath of the Peripheral Fleet of the Imperial Con'Tar," threatened the (familiarly) backlit commander. To be honest, it looked almost like the bridge of the Romulan ship Car'Thein.

"We of the federation respect your space and will leave it as soon as we are finished with our rescue mission," Captain Sommerfeld responded confidently.

"That will not suffice. You have seen too much of our capabilities and, therefore, cannot leave."

"We will not surrender our ship, nor do we fear yours," Mike said defiantly.

"You should learn to fear that which is superior, Captain," the alien responded coolly.

"Sir," Michelle, who had come to the bridge during the dialogue, interrupted. "There are three more of those strange ships coming into sensor range."

"Thank you, commander," he responded calmly. "Captain Monroe, prepare to have your people beamed to the Interceptor."

"If you insist," came the agitated response.

"S-sir? T-transm-mision ended," Ensign Corvick reported as the screen changed to three ships of similar construction. One was considerably larger than the bogey they had engaged. The other two, one on either side of it, were somewhat smaller but still of considerable size.

"Oh, this is going to be fun," Amber muttered sarcastically. She knew she could maneuver the ship well enough to avoid fire from two enemies, probably three, but she wished Tony were there. She always felt better when he was there.

She wasn't the only one who wanted Tony there. His father did too. He wanted both his children there, so he wouldn't need to worry about them being on the Santa Maria and because they were better at their jobs than the ensigns filling in for them. "Transporter Room, are all the survivors aboard?" he asked, knowing his crew would come aboard with them.

"Yes sir," came the response. "So are own people. Commander Sommerfeld and Lieutenant Commander Lewis are on their way to the bridge now, sir."

"Okay. Thank you," he replied. "Ensign, remove the shields from the Santa Maria. Miss Moore, take us behind that big one." As they complied, Commander Beth Sommerfeld and Lieutenant Commander Jesse Lewis stepped off the turbo lift.

"Reporting for duty, sir," Jesse said, snapping to attention in front of his new captain.

"Perfect timing, commander. Take Tactical," he replied. _About time we got our new Chief of Security and Tactical Officer,_ he thought to himself. "Target engines and life support."

"Aye, sir," the new Tactical Officer answered, pushing a series of buttons.

"Fire at will." The volley of torpedoes and phaser beams that followed was remarkable; no less than six torpedoes were hurled at each ship followed by eight phaser beams, first at the biggest ship than at the one to its starboard side.

"Miss Moore, bring us about. Mr. Lewis, cease fire," Mike ordered as two of the ships imploded.

"Nice shot," Beth said in awe. She knew her littler brother was perfectly competent Tactical Officer, but Tony cold never have done such an expert job on so many ships in such short a time.

"Thanks," he responded, knowing full well what she meant. He knew her brother while he was in the Marines. He wouldn't stand much of a chance in any kind of a man-to-man combat, but he could handle a ship's weapons better than his younger counterpart.

The whole bridge crew was impressed, but Amber was still uncomfortable. This new commander was…well…different. He was shorter than his two-meter tall counterpart but, somehow, felt more imposing. He looked like he could handle himself almost anywhere, almost arrogant. Tony just looked confident, almost like he always knew what he was doing but never really needed to tell you. She also knew Tony better, so that might have something to do with the odd feeling she had.

"Bridge to Hazard Ops," Mike said. He wanted to know more about these…Imperial Con'Tar and to do that he'd need to send in a boarding party.

"Hazard Ops. Lieutenant Sommerfeld speaking. What you need?"

"Get a team together, Tony. You're boarding one of the hostiles," Mike said, almost disappointed to hear his son respond. He was one of the few people who knew very much about his experience aboard the Borg vessel. He wouldn't talk about it to anyone, not even his own father.

"Yes, sir," came the reluctant response. Tony didn't want to go on a boarding mission, but he never disobeyed orders if he could help it.


	5. Chapter Five: Boarding Party

**Chapter Five**

Boarding Party

Marine's Log: Stardate 4566.20 --First Lieutenant Sommerfeld reporting. We marines aboard the Interceptor act mostly as a Special Forces extension of the standard security force. Fortunately, that means we don't need anyone "higher up" than me. Unfortunately, it also means we have to do what the "standard Starfleet people" say. Even if we don't want to. –End log entry.

Tony really and sincerely didn't want to go on a boarding mission, especially one on a ship they knew almost nothing about that belonged to an alien species.

"Sir?" came the voice that raddled him form his…unpleasant memories. It was one of his closest friends, Third Lieutenant Alex Ward.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought," he responded weakly. He didn't know why he was having flash backs, this ship was nothing like a Borg ship. It was actually more like a Romulan one: pretty well lit, not damp like a Klingon ship, all the halls looked alike, several dead ends. Not at all Borg. "Ensign Billings, what's your tricorder reading for this hallway?" So far their tricorders had been just about worthless.

"It says it goes all the way trough, no turns, several off shoots. But I've been wrong before," he responded, tapping his screen several times.

"Let's hope not this time," Tony said as he headed down the corridor. The five other people in the boarding party followed. A standard Marine boarding party includes six people: in this case, four Standard Marines and two technicians. If they need to, they could split up into two groups of three.

So far they hadn't meat any opposition: no security personnel, no automation, no booby traps, little difficulty in general. The only real problem they were having was a lack of hallways that actually went anywhere.

"This is getting frustrating," Alex said as they ran into another wall. He turned to go back down the hallway.

"No, it's already frustrating," Tony replied, turning to follow him. He was beginning to wonder how the aliens go around this stupid ship.

"Sir," Billings started then stopped to fiddle with his tricorder.

"Yeah?" Tony asked turning to face him.

"This wall doesn't register on my tricorder," he responded looking up helplessly.

"It doesn't show up on your scientific tricorder?" Tony asked, transporter packing his phaser rifle in exchange for a tactical tricorder. He started scanning with it.

"It doesn't: not as energy, not as matter, not at all."

"It shouldn't. It's a tactical hologram," Tony responded, tapping his comm. badge. "Away Team, regroup on this position."

"Aye, sir," came the response as the rest of the team came back down the hallway.

"What's the big deal?" Alex asked as he walked up next to Tony, looking over his shoulder. "What's that for? Doesn't the wall show up on the scientific tricorders?"

"Actually, it doesn't. And it shouldn't," Tony responded, drawing his Meteor Phaser Pistol. After he shot the wall in three different places (to the shock of all the people present), it faded to reveal a long corridor. "It's just a hologram," he finished.

"Oh," Alex responded slowly.

"What formation should we use?" Billings asked, transporter packing a phaser compression rifle.

"SWAT?" Tony asked in response. He was referring to the old SWAT type formation: someone takes point and lead out as the others follow at varying distances. He was meat with a unanimous nod. "Fine, I'll take point," Tony finished as he transporter packed his tricorders.

As he moved down the hall, a side door opened and an alien jumped out. It was roughly humanoid: about two meters tall, covered in thick, dark gray fur. It had a slightly elongated snout with large lower fangs. It held some sort of large projectile weapon in its large, clawed hand. As it came out, it roared loudly and fired a shot at him.

"Whoa," Tony yelped as he stepped back and shot at it. On the impact, the alien's fur vibrated slightly and it staggered a few steps, falling over. "Okay, that was odd," Tony said as he tapped his comm. badge. "Sommerfeld to Interceptor."

"Captain Sommerfeld here, go ahead Tony," came the response.

"Are your sensors still being jammed?"

After about two seconds, Michelle responded, "No, not really. Why?"

"What's your life form reading?" Tony asked as he started down the hallway again.

"Humanoid. Almost Romulan with some that look Klingon, but not very many," she replied after a moment.

"Is that it? No unknown life forms or anything else?" he asked as he came to an intersection. He took his tricorders back out and started scanning.

"No…none that I can find. Why?"

"I just shot something that looked more like a gorilla for earth than anything else." As he finished scanning, the last person in the formation came up behind him. He motioned for Alex's team to move off to the right.

"You're sure? It could have been a battle suit or something," Mike asked as the team split up: Alex's team went right and Tony's went left.

"Yeah, I'm sure. It died too easy to be a suit of some sort." The hallway they went down had the same color schema as all the others: light green over dark green with a handrail at the border. No real distinguishing marks on any of the walls.

"It could have been a hologram," Amber offered. She didn't like the idea of Tony being on an Away Mission since she was probably the one that knew the most about his experience with the Borg. She had been there that day… She never wanted to think about it again. She was brought out of her unpleasant memories by Tony's response.

"No, not a hologram. If it were a hologram, it would have faded out after I shot it, but it didn't. It just fell over," he responded as he saw something that caught his attention. "Now, what's this?"

"What's what?" Mike asked. He wasn't really happy about his son going on this mission either. He knew that Tony had been stranded on a Borg vessel, but that's all he knew. The only mention of it in any records was that it happened and Tony wouldn't talk about it. He was worried that the experience would consume his son and turn him into something that no one could even imagine.

"I don't know. It looks almost like a holodeck hologram after being shot." As Tony moved closer to the anomaly, he began to realize that they had walked into a trap of some sort. "This is bad," he muttered as Romulans started coming out of the woodwork, literally.

"What's bad? Report!" Mike ordered as he stood up and stepped forward. The last thing he wanted was an Away Team they couldn't get back to the Interceptor.

"It's a trap!" Tony yelled as he transporter packed a Type IV-B Medium Range Combat Support Phaser. He began shooting wildly, knowing his own guys would stay behind him. They had shot about half the Romulans that had jumped out at them when more came running down the hallway toward them. "Fall back! Fall BACK!"

"Transporter Room! Beam back the Away Team!" Mike ordered.

A few seconds later cam the discouraging response, "Sir! I can't! There's some sort of transport inhibiter around the ship!"

"What!"

"Oh, this is bad," Amber muttered under her breath. _It's starting again._ It was just like what happened on the Intersession: Tony beamed over with a standard Away Team, wound up in a trap, and couldn't get back. They had been station on it together: she had been at the helm and heard everything that went over the communication channel.

"There's too many of them!" came the horrified exclamation from one of Tony's teammates, she didn't know who.

"Keep shooting! Don't give up!" Tony responded. He sounded desperate. They needed help, but the Interceptor couldn't give it. "Fall back! Go back down the hallway!"

"They're coming that way too! There's no way out! We're trapped!"

"Fight! Keep fighting!" Tony ordered. He knew their chances of survival were nonexistent, but he needed to fight. To keep fighting. Just like before.

He had been in a group of three. They were his two closest friends. When they were assimilated, it hurt. It hurt more when he had to kill them to save his own life. He had been the only on to survive. He never really got over that.

"Sir, they've stopped," Sergeant Cunningham said.

"What?" Mike asked over the comm. link

"They've stopped, no one else is coming," Tony said in awe. "Get their weapons, we'll need them."

As they spread out to collect the disruptor pistols, Tone could hear Michelle say, "Sir, the hostile is moving off."

"Helm, lay in a parallel course," Mike ordered.

"Aye, sir," Amber responded. She didn't like the way this was going. She didn't want anyone on a hostile ship, especially Tony. They had been close friends ever since he got stationed on the Intersession. But their relationship had been rock after he got back from the Borg sphere.

"Sir, the hostile is acceleration to Warp Two," Michelle said. She wasn't exactly comfortable with how the mission was going. She didn't really know any of the Marines on board the Interceptor, but she had a good impression of Tony. He's a good officer and gets along well with the crew.

"Match speed," Mike said. He hated this feeling of helplessness, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. He couldn't beam them back. He couldn't open fire or stop them from getting away. He sat down and put his head in his hands.

"Aye, sir," Amber replied. She felt just as helpless. She began to wish that she had never been transferred. At first, she thought she' like it. The fastest ship in the fleet and she would be at the helm. But now, she began to reconsider her position here. It was too threatening.

"Sir, we're approaching a planet. It's in an uncharted system, but the hostile is headed right for it," Michelle reported.

"What do the long range sensors say?" Mike asked looking up.

"Inconclusive. It looks something kind of like Romulus, but not really." Michelle could tell he was nervous, but she didn't know what to do about it.

"Sorry I'm later. What'd I miss?" Beth asked as she stepped off the turbo lift. She had been asked to help get the survivors from the Santa Maria settled in.

"Not much," Michelle answered sarcastically. "Ton's just stranded over on a hostile ship that we can't transport to or from. It's heading for an uncharted planetary system."

"He's stranded again?" Beth asked as she sat next to her father. "What's that? Like the fifth time since he joined the Marines?"

"More like six," Amber said as she did some random thing with her consul. She didn't know what she was doing, but she needed to do something.

It had been fifteen hours since they beamed over to this stupid ship. Or was it just fifteen minutes? Tony wasn't sure.

They had encountered two other groups of Romulans (nowhere near as large) and regrouped with Alex.

"What is going on here?" Alex asked when they finally got back together.

"I think we're on some sort of holodeck. But I don't know how to get off," Tony responded, looking down the corridor past the other men to be sure no one was coming.

"Computer: End program," Alex said as Tony tried to stop him. More Romulans came running down the hallway trying to shoot them.

"Great," Tony said in frustration. "I've already tried that," he added as he phasered two Romulans. "It just causes more trouble." He phasered three more Romulans, and started moving down the hall the other way when there was a giant explosion.

It knocked him forward, causing him to drop his rifle. When he looked up, all the Romulans were gone. So was the corridor; it had become a black room with off green lines forming little boxes on all the walls, the floor, and the sealing. "A holodeck," he muttered as he stood up. "Is everyone okay?"

"I am," Alec said as he stood. But when he put his weight on his left leg, it buckled and he fell forward. "Okay…maybe not."

"Sanchez, check him out. Where's Billings?" Tony asked as he looked around. Five of the six people looked relatively fine, but someone was lying over to one side. "Oh, fudge."

He went over to see what was wrong. He couldn't find a pulse. "Hunt, get over here! Billings is hurt!"

Hunt went over and ran his medical tricorder over him. "He's already dead, Tony," Hunt said, looking his friend in the eye.

"What killed him?" Tony asked angrily.

"Disruptor burns," Hunt responded hesitantly. He knew what this would do to his friend: He always took this kind of thing hard.

"Dang it," Tony muttered as he stood up and walked over to the computer control panel next to the holodeck door. He hated loosing people, even before he was trapped on the bloody, stupid Borg ship. He started fiddling wit the panel while he was thinking about that mission and what happened. About the people who went with him and how they died. There screams for help while the Borg assimilated them. The way it felt when he had to kill them. And, the worst part, telling their families.

He was so focused on the panel and his own memories that he didn't notice Hunt walk up behind him. "You okay, Tony?"

"I'm fine. Why shouldn't I be?" he responded harshly.

"You don't sound fine. You sound like you're going to phaser someone."

"Good, there's a lot of people to phaser on this stupid Romulan-ship-want-be," he snapped as he finally got the door open. "Sanchez, Grimes, stay with Ward."

"Sir, there are more of those warships approaching," Michelle said, standing next to Beth.

"How many?"

"Three big ones," Jesse responded, punching buttons on his consul. He was trying to find a way to beam through their transport inhibitor. It wasn't working.

"Sir? Do you want to break off pursuit?" Amber asked. She really didn't want to, but she knew they'd probably have to.

"Put the hostiles on screen," Mike ordered, hoping that it wasn't as bad as it sounded. It was.

The main viewer changed from a view of a small ship with star streaks around it to a view of three large ships closing on their position. "Yes, break off pursuit," he3 respond reluctantly. He really and greatly wished he could either continue the pursuit or (preferably) get his son off that ship. "Ready forward weapons systems."

"Aye, sir," Jesse responded. As he started the targeting sequence, he sent a written message to Tony and his group. He just hoped his comm. badge would pick up on it.

As they came about, the enemy ships armed their weapons arrays, consisting of mostly disruptors. The first ship fired, narrowly missing the port shields.

"Hold fire," Mike said as one of the other sips fired, hitting the forward shields. "Fire all weapons on my mark." One of the ships passed over them and fired on their dorsal shields.

"Shields at ninety percent," Jesse reported, adjusting his targeting pattern.

"Wait for it," Mike said as one of the ships came up on the starboard side. "Wait for it."

""Shields at eighty-five percent," Jesse informed them as a torpedo impacted their starboard shield. She didn't know why they were holding fire and he didn't need to. He drew on his time in the Marines, when he almost never knew the reasons behind his specific orders but he knew his commanders were always on task.

"Helm, one hundred eighty degrees to starboard. Tactical, fire!" Mike ordered as they spun around and fired a full spread of torpedoes and phasers. One of the ships exploded and the other tow pivoted slightly.

"All three ships disabled," Michelle said as they resumed their pursuit.

Tony was nearing a corner in the corridor and used his tricorder to scan around it. It picked up three Romulans.

His comm. badge peeped. They heard it and started around the corner. "Fudge," he muttered as he backed down the corridor. Tony really didn't need this right now.

His little group had already fought three other groups of Romulans. Hunt goy hurt and had to stay behind and it wasn't looking good for Alex's groups either.

He found a room he could retreat to. No one was there. He went in and his badge peeped again. They heard that one too. "Perfect, just perfect," he muttered as he looked around for away out. There wasn't one. "Perfect."

He could hear the Romulans talking outside the door. They sounded like they were arguing, but he couldn't understand them because the door muffled their voices too much. He found a table he could turn over to use for cover. As he did, his badge peeped again. "I know," he almost yelled.

"Fudge," he muttered again, knowing that the Romulans had heard that. They started to open the door. He squatted behind the table. The door opened and they fired.

Since they weren't aiming, they didn't hit anything. One came in and fired again, this time grazing the edge of the table, almost hitting Tony's head.

"Whoa," breathed as he ducked lower. He had put the table with one edge against the wall so they couldn't get at him that way.

Another Romulan came in as the first came around for a better shot. Tony fired at him as he came into position. He stumbled backwards and fell. The other fired at the table in an attempt to puncture it. It didn't work.

As the third Romulan came in, the second continued to fire on the table. He concentrated on the edges, trying to drive Tony back against the wall. The third came up to try to shoot over the top, but Tony was ready for that.

He had rolled over onto his back, staying well away from the other edge. When the Romulan put his hand over to shoot, Tony fired first. He fired his rifle at setting ten, vaporizing the Romulan.

He heard a communicator peep; he sprang up to fire on the other Romulan before he could call for reinforcements. But it wasn't a "he." She was beautiful: slender, fair skinned, dark shoulder length hair, and frightened eyes. She dropped the communicator she was holding and stared at Tony.

He was going to shoot as soon as he had a shot, but he stopped himself. Instead, he said, "Drop you disruptor." She jumped but didn't drop it. "I'm not going to shoot you," he said, pointing his rifle down and to the side.

"Why?"

"What?"  
"Why aren't you going to shoot me?" she asked as she let it go. She sounded scared, but not as scared as she had looked.

"Because…you're no longer a threat," Tony responded, not entirely sure himself.

"I am Romulan. You are not. I pose no threat?" she said in broken English.

"Not when you're scared. You dropped your weapon pretty willingly. And it's okay if you speak Romulan," Tony responded.

"You can tell?" she asked, looking even more scared.

"I've been around a lot of scared women; the look is pretty universal," he responded as he started picking up the items that her colleagues were carrying. But he was careful not to take his eye off her. He had been around a lot of scared women, but most had been braver than most scared men.

She started to bend, like she was going to pick up her disruptor. "Maha," Tony said as he leveled his rifle on her again. "I don't doubt your courage, but I'd be very careful if I were you."

"You wouldn't have dropped your weapon so soon, would you?" she asked as she stood up again.

"No, I probably wouldn't have," he responded, going back to what he was doing. "But I probably wouldn't have come in so soon either."

That surprised her, and she gave him a quizzical look. "Yet you came onto our ship."

"Yeah, but that's different," he responded as he stood and went to get her disruptor and communicator. "You see, on the Interceptor, we have special security to deal with intruders. And I didn't come here alone." His badge peeped again and he tapped it.

"Message from Commander Jesse Lewis," came the automated voice, followed by: "Tony, you need to find and disable the transport inhibitor or we won't be able to get you off of that ship."

"Perfect," Tony mumbled to himself. "Just perfect."

"What was that about?"

"Nothing," he responded more harshly than he meant to, sticking his head out the door and looking both ways. "Can you take me to the main bridge?"  
"I couldn't," she practically gasped.

"I didn't think so, but it couldn't hurt to ask," he responded as he lowering the setting on his phaser rifle. "I'm not going to kill you, but I can't have you following me," he added as he shot her. Heavy stun, just enough to give him a head start.

He went back into the corridor, being careful not to be seen. He continued down the way he had been going, stopping every so often to scan for life forms. He didn't find any. "So far, so good," he muttered under his breath as he rounded another corner.

He came to a dead end. There was a door that looked like a turbo lift, but he couldn't get it to open. "There ought to be a manual override or Jeffery's tube around here somewhere," he muttered as he started scanning more thoroughly.

He did find a Jeffery's tube but he also found four Romulan security guards that were closing on his position. Fast.

Amber was having trouble focusing, especially since this was her third shift in a row.

"Miss Moore, you should go get some sleep," Beth said. She had relieved Mike two hours ago.

"No thank you, ma'am," she responded, making her fourth course correction in two minutes.

"That's an order, mister."

"Yes, ma'am," she responded reluctantly, standing to go.

Beth hated doing that, especially since Amber was one of the few people that Tony had let get close to him after...his experience.

He had always had trouble making real friends, but after his encounter with the Borg, he had all but stopped trying. But Amber, she was different.

She was one of the few people he could be comfortable with. He even had trouble being with her, his own sister. Sure, she had always been an authority figure, but they had always been able to talk. Until…

"Ma'am?" a lieutenant interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes, Miss McAllister?" she responded, turning to the science station. Michelle didn't really need to rest, but the crew's moral was better if she went through the usual shift changes.

"I'm picking up some sort of radiation," she responded.

Beth went over to see it for herself. "Is it the same as that ship generated?" she asked, motioning vaguely to the view screen.

"I don't think so, ma'am," she responded, looking up and pushing her shoulder length blonde hair behind her ear. "But I know it's not natural."

"What's the origin?"

"Undetermined."

"Is it dangerous?"  
"It doesn't look like it," Jesse responded. He had picked up on it shortly after Kayla. "It looks more like some sort of sensor dust."

"Sensor dust?" Beth asked, turning to face him.

"Yeah, it's an experimental technology. It's supposed to pick up anything that comes in contact with it and give a detailed description," Kayla answered, looking more closely at her consul. "But I've never heard of it being tested before."

"It sounds useful," Beth said, heading back to her seat. "Try to steer clear of it."

Tony had barely gotten the door closed behind him before the Romulans came around the corner. It was smaller than the Jeffery's tubes on the Interceptor, but he didn't really mind. Once he got the door sealed, there would be little, if any, chance of being caught.

He crawled through it, trying not to make any noise, until he came to a junction. "Great, right or left?" he muttered, taking his tactical tricorder back out. It didn't pick up any life forms to the right, but there was an unusually large amount of power consumption to the left and forward. He checked to see how many Romulans where that way, then proceeded with caution. "Left it is."

"Sir, the hostile is headed into the sensor dust," Lieutenant McAllister reported.

Mike had relieved Beth twenty minutes ago and had been filled in. "Is there anyway to stay within sensor range of it without following it in?"

"Negative, sir," Jesse responded. "The field is too large."

"But…" Kayla began.

"Yes, lieutenant?" Mike asked, turning to face her.

"Well, sir. Theoretically, we could jam the signal by copying the receiver's subspace frequency," she finished, looking up from what she was doing.

"Can you tell what it is?"

"No, sir the receiver is too far out of range. But if we stay out of it and fluctuate our receiving frequency, we should be able to find the right one and find the ship again right away."

"Start modulating but keep that ship in sensor range," he responded, turning back to the front of the room.

As Tony crawled along the tube, e noticed a considerable raise in humidity. "What…?" he muttered as he started scanning again.

"Klingons!" he whispered to himself. He had expected more Romulans or even more of those beast-things. But Klingons?

Unless the were prisoners. But then why the environmental change? He had heard of benevolent captors, but never anything like this before.

As he continued, there were more and more Klingons. The tube forked, but he needed to go to the right and it only continued straight or to the left. He had just passed another access point, so he packed up to get out.

When he got there, there was a guard posted and he wasn't patrolling. So Tony decided to wait and see what would happen. Nothing did.

Realizing that he couldn't wait too long, he opted for a confrontation. He stuck his head out to get a better idea of where the Klingon was. He almost got it blown off.

"That was smart," he sarcastically reprimanded himself as he retreated back into his little hole. He drew his Meteor Phaser Pistol, set it to level ten, stuck it out the access port and fired. He heard the scream of someone being vaporized and crawled out, being careful out to get noticed by anyone.

He started down the hallway quietly. This par of the ship looked nothing like the rest of it. It was more metallic, harsher. No two inches looked alike, but you couldn't tell one hallway from the next.

He crept along, hardly making a sound, until he came to the hallway he needed to take to get to the power surge. He assumed that it was the transport inhibitor, since it would take a great power expense to cover the whole ship with a single one.

When he got to the room it was in, he couldn't find the controls. He found several curious looking cords, but there wasn't any way to disconnect them. He had found the transport inhibitor but couldn't turn it off.


End file.
